


I Love You Anyway

by TheLovelyLadyAuthor



Category: Who Killed Markiplier? (Web Series), markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Adultery, Break Up, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Past Relationship(s), Period-Typical Homophobia, Politics, Secret Relationship, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22157680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLovelyLadyAuthor/pseuds/TheLovelyLadyAuthor
Summary: William realizes that he and Damien can't be together because of Damien's public image. Years later, Dark realizes he doesn't care what anyone thinks of them.
Relationships: Damien | The Mayor/Wilford Warfstache | William J. Barnum | The Colonel, Darkiplier/Wilford Warfstache
Comments: 14
Kudos: 116





	I Love You Anyway

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Audreywritesfanfic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Audreywritesfanfic/gifts).



> A friend of mine gave me a little idea and I had to write it. Turned out longer than I had originally planned, but I think I'm super happy with it!

_1917_

One glimpse at the crinkled page of the local newspaper was all it took. 

The photo of himself, William J. Barnum, hand in hand with the town’s new mayor, Damien Ebonwood. _Scandalous_ , they called it. Everyone was losing their minds over the possibility of a political figure being a homosexual.

He paged through to the next side, seeing another photo accompanying the article. One that was more recent, one that, when taken, the two had known it would be a nightmare.

They had been out for dinner and paparazzi had caught them. William had opened his jacket and pulled Damien into it to hide his face from the unwanted flashing of the cameras.

However, that had turned out to be the wrong thing to do.

William was so tired of all the drama, all the stress. He’d just gotten home from the war, and he just wanted peace and quiet.

But, he knew that would never happen when he had to worry about the negative impact he had on Damien’s life. His beloved had worked so hard for his career and everything else, and William’s presence was letting it go to waste.

He knew he had to do something about it. Damien wouldn’t let him go, certainly not for this reason. He’d say it was okay, that they’d make it through, that he didn’t care about what the public thought of him. 

Of them.

The soldier, of course, knew that was a lie. Damien cared very deeply about his career and what the public thought about him.

It was going to be a messy end, that was for sure.

_**~*~*~*~*~** _

_1918_

“God damn you, Barnum!” 

William took the smacks to the chest and the tears streaming down Damien’s cheeks with a straight face, though his heart was pounding out of his chest and the ache was like he was being shot all over again.

“I can’t believe you! Of all the people, you choose to cheat on me with my sister?! My married sister!” Damien sobbed and slammed his palms against William’s broad chest in a desperate attempt to get him to say something - say anything at all.

But, he didn’t budge, and just looked down at Damien blankly, trying not to cry, to tell him why he was doing this or that it wasn’t true.

Though he knew he couldn’t do that. He knew this was best.

He wanted to just take Damien into his arms and tell him that he loved him, but he knew that them being together wasn’t best for Damien, which is why it had to end like this, why he had to stand there and listen to Damien shouting.

“I hate you, William!”

It didn’t change the fact that he hated it.

_**~*~*~*~*~** _

_1928_

“...aren’t you even the least bit upset?”

Celine looked over at her brother with a slightly confused and mildly annoyed look when his voice pulled her away from the seance laid out before her.

“You mean about Mark’s death.” She stated knowingly, and Damien narrowed his eyes slightly, hating how calm and collected she sounded.

“Yes, I mean about Mark’s death!” He exclaimed, finally getting agitated enough to snap. _Why did no one care?!_ “You and William both! I mean, I know you both betrayed him and me by cheating but I thought you’d still be at least a bit-”

“Are you still seriously caught up on that?” Celine rolled her eyes, tired of being reminded constantly that everyone thought she was a whore. “William and I never had an affair. I was unhappy with Mark and William was afraid for you, afraid your public image would be damaged by his presence, so we decided to stage an affair to get out of the relationships.”

Damien had been about to fully snap at Celine’s first words, before his jaw dropped and he just gaped at her, his heart starting to pound out of his chest.

“...what did you just say?”

It was all he could even manage to say, he suddenly felt dizzy, dizzier than he had been earlier when they discovered Mark dead.

His slightly older sister simply rolled her eyes. “He wanted a way out that would make sure you wouldn’t try to fight for him. He loved you dearly, Damien, he just knew how much you cared about your public image and he didn’t want to sully all that you had worked so hard for.”

There was silence in the room for a moment as Damien processed what his sister was telling him. He knew she was telling the truth, he could always tell when she was lying to him.

But, this? This scheme that had lasted ten years, an attempt to save him from the only man he’d ever loved because of _politics_ of all things... it was ludicrous.

“I... I need to find William...” He whispered, his breath catching in his throat, his sweaty hands shaking around the cane that he gripped ever so tightly. Shaking his head, he forced back tears and turned to leave, to find William, to reconcile. 

He didn’t know it was already too late.

_**~*~*~*~*~** _

_2020_

The sun was setting and washes of oranges and yellows came through the window of Darkiplier’s office, bathing the two people inside.

Wilford was on the desk, a marker in his hand moving furiously across the page of the adult colouring book that Dark had given him to distract him and keep him from bothering Dark while he was trying to work.

It was so sudden that the memory fluttered through Dark’s mind, that it honestly and truly caught him off guard.

He stared down at the page he’d been reading and was still for a long moment, before he looked up at Wilford, his eyes roaming over his face, taking in every detail of the man that he’d loved for over a hundred years.

“I don’t care about what anyone thinks.” He blurted out, catching the pink ego’s attention and having him turn towards him with a perplexed expression.

“What? What do you mean?”

“About us. I don’t care what anyone thinks about us. I love you, and I don’t care who knows,” Dark stated firmly, his lips pressed into a stern line before his features softened. “I just... wanted you to know.”

He could tell that Wilford didn’t know what he was talking about, which was a bit of a relief, and he relaxed when his partner smiled his beautiful smile and leaned down to pull Dark into a kiss.

“...you’re silly, Darky.” Wilford gave him an affectionate look as he pulled away slightly, brushing some of Dark’s hair out of his face.

“I know.” The dark ego hummed in reply, looking up at his partner with nothing but pure decades of love in his gaze. 

“I like it. You can be silly,” Wilford kissed the tip of Dark’s nose. “I love you anyway.”

Dark smiled.

“...I know that too.”


End file.
